Wrapping device in a press for forming bales of textile material

ABSTRACT

The press comprises at least one final pressing station with a standing press comprising one upper pressing plate and one lower pressing plate; said plates are fitted on coaxial coupling attachemnts ( 202 ) and turned on the vertical axis X-X with the bale after final pressing; a lateral sheet (T 10 ) is unwound from a vertical axis reel ( 206 ) and is wrapped laterally on the bale, at least partially, by effect of the rotation of the pressing plates, obtained by the presence of the coupling attachments; cutting means and means ( 208, 228 ) for temporary fastening of the ends of the piece (TS) of sheet (T 10 ) to the plates of the press, for binding are provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a press for forming bales oftextile material or other materials, of the type comprising a finalpressing and binding station with a standing press.

STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Two-station presses, i.e. presses with a pre-pressing station anda final pressing and binding station, are described, for example, inItalian Patents no. 1,201,292, 1,201,240, 1,214,914 and in ItalianUtility Model no. 207,273. These presses employ a carriage, which incertain cases also defines the pre-pressing chamber, which transfers thepartially pressed material in the pre-pressing station to the finalpressing and binding station. This solution is efficient but entailsrelatively high costs. particularly when the press is designed accordingto the user's specific requirements.

[0003] A perfected type of two-station press is described inWO-A-0038908.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Object of the present invention is to create a press which can beused to obtain a packaged product, i.e. a product which is at leastpartially wrapped in a sheet, which may be a sheet of plastic or othersuitable material, in a fashion which is essentially automated.

[0005] A prior Patent Application filed by the Applicant in Italy on 13Nov. 2000 relates to press for the formation of bales of textilematerial which provides a partial wrapping. The press comprises: a firstpre-pressing station and a second final pressing station; twocontainment walls (upper and lower) which are approximately parallel anddefine a transfer course of pre-pressed material from the pre-pressingstation to the final pressing station; and a pusher which pushes thematerial along said course between two containing walls to a spacedefined by two pressing plates of said second final pressing station.Means for unwinding a wrapping sheet from a horizontal roll andpositioning it perpendicularly to the direction of advancement of thematerial along said transfer course are associated to said second finalpressing station, upstream to the pressing plates of the second pressingstation. Three sides of the material are wrapped in said sheet when thematerial is inserted between the pressing plates of the second pressingstation. The press described in the aforesaid Patent Application is usedto dress three sides of the bale, whose shape is generally rectangularand prismatic, including the two sides which are in contact with thepressing plates.

[0006] The invention relates to a solution which can be used to dress atleast three lateral sides or also four lateral sides of a bale in apress of the type herein described. This invention may also beadvantageously applied to a press of the type described in the aforesaidPatent Application filed on 13 Nov. 2000, or other type, requiringpartial wrapping.

[0007] Substantially, in a standing press for the formation of textilematerial bales, comprising an upper plate and a lower plate betweenwhich the bale is formed in a final pressing procedure according to theinvention:

[0008] said plates are fitted on coaxial coupling attachments and areconsequently capable of turning;

[0009] means are provided to turn said plates and bale after finalpressing,

[0010] a lateral sheet, which is laterally wrapped around the bale, atleast partially, by effect of the rotation of the coupling attachments,is unwound from a fixed vertical axis roll, and

[0011] means for cutting the sheet and for temporarily fastening the endof the piece of sheet thus obtained to the plates of the press areprovided.

[0012] A strapping device, i.e. a device for strapping the bale, isoperated after the rotation.

[0013] In a press suitable for forming bales, whose horizontalcross-sections are rectangular, said plates and bales are turned by 360°to wrap at least three lateral surfaces of the bale or also the fourlateral surfaces.

[0014] Advantageously, a second horizontal axis roll may be provided.The second roll feeds a sheet vertically between the pre-pressingstation and the final pressing station. Said sheet is pulled by thepre-compressed bale to rest on the upper and lower surfaces of the bale,on which two plates act, and on the lateral surface, which advances andcomes into contact with said vertical sheet, according to the criteriadescribed in said prior Patent Application. The other three lateralsurfaces are wrapped according to the present invention.

[0015] The means for fastening the sheet which is unwound from thevertical axis roll may comprise oscillating tips, which project from theplates of the press, are radially positioned by elastic means to engagethe ends of the piece of sheet and can bend due to the action of saidelastic means towards the bale to facilitate releasing the piece ofsheet.

[0016] The invention will now be described, by the way of example only,with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating theimplementation of the invention in a press of the type described in theprior Patent Application, wherein:

[0017]FIG. 1 illustrates a press to which the invention may be applied;

[0018]FIG. 2 illustrates a blown-up detail of FIG. 1;

[0019]FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 show as many phases of the lateral balecovering operation according to the section III-IV in FIG. 2;

[0020]FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a bale with two wrappings aboutto be bound, and

[0021]FIGS. 9 and 10 schematically illustrate fastening means inretaining position and in released position.

[0022] The illustrated press, to which the invention may be applied, isof the type described in the prior Patent Application and is genericallyindicated with reference numeral 101. It presents a first pre-pressingstation 103 and a second pressing and binding station 105. A so-calledcondenser 107, which feeds the textile material to be packaged in bales,is associated to the pre-pressing station 103. The condenser 107 feedsthe textile material into a loader 109, in which a cylinder-pistonsystem 111 with a plate 113—which is capable of alternative movement inthe direction of the double arrow f113—unloads the textile material intoa loading area 115 over a pre-pressing chamber 117. A pre-pressing plate119 is associated to the loading area 115 and the pre-pressing chamber117. The pre-pressing plate 119 is operated by a cylinder-pistonactuator 121, e.g. of the hydraulic type. The pre-pressing chamber 117is delimited by two fixed walls (not visible), which are essentiallyparallel to the drawing plane, in addition to a plate 125, which formspart of a pusher 127 and by a wall 129, oscillating on a horizontal axis129A, reason for which said wall 129 can move to a vertical-downwardsposition and can move to a horizontal position, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] A horizontal transfer course 131, which includes the chamber 117,is developed between the pre-pressing station 103 and the final pressingstation 105. The upper part of the course is delimited by a first wall,which is formed by the vertical wall 129 when it moves to a raisedposition as shown in FIG. 1. The lower part of the course is delimitedby a second horizontal containment wall 135. The latter wall ishorizontally mobile in the direction of the plate 125 of the pusher 127.The oscillatory movement of the mobile wall 129 puts the pre-pressingchamber 117 into communication with the transfer course 131 leading tothe final pressing station 105 when the wall 129 is raised. The finalpressing station 105 comprises a first fixed upper pressing plate 137and a second lower pressing plate 141. The plate 125 of the pusher 127is mobile in the direction of the double arrow f127 and presents ahorizontally developed cylinder-piston actuator arranged in an extensionof the transfer course 131. A horizontal sheet 147 is associated to theplate 125 and moves in the direction of the double arrow f127, which isintegral with the plate 125. Two comb systems 149 which can oscillate onhorizontal axes to withhold the pre-pressed material inside thepre-pressing chamber 117 when the pre-pressing plate 119 is raised,whereby preventing the pre-pressed material from swelling in the loadingarea 115, are arranged between the loading area 115 and the pre-pressingchamber 117. A binder 151 is associated to the final pressing andbinding station 105, in addition to a carriage with collection devicewhich takes and moves pressed and bound bales away to the final pressingstation 105.

[0024] As described in the prior Patent Application, a support 201 for aroll R of film or plastic sheet, indicated by reference T, is associatedto the second final pressing station 105. This roll is used to wrapthree or four sides of the material which was pressed in the finalpressing station 105 before binding it, i.e. before the final bale isformed. The sheet T is sent along a course over the pressing plate 137to be pulled transversally across the transfer course of the pre-pressedtextile material from the pre-pressing station 103 to the final pressingstation 105. The course of the sheet T is defined by guiding rollers162, 163, 164, 165 to a vertical lowering trajectory T1. A system forunwinding the sheet T is provided to take the sheet under the level ofthe lower pressing plate 141. In this way, the final trajectory T1 ofthe sheet T fully intercepts the course 131 of the pre-pressed materialM directed to the final pressing station 105. When the material Madvances (rightwards in FIG. 1), the sheet T is intercepted and drawn bythe mass M until it is wrapped on three of the six sides of thepartially pressed bale of material from the pre-pressing station 103during the movement of material transfer to the final pressing station105, as shown by references T2, T3, T4 in FIG. 2. Two of these sides arethose on which plates 137 and 141 will act upon while the other side isthe one on the right in FIG. 1.

[0025] The procedure according to the invention is used to replace orcomplement the procedure described above and wrap the remaining threelateral sides. T5, T6, T7 (FIG. 8) of the bale.

[0026] Firstly, the pressing plates 137 and 141 are fitted on couplingattachments 202, 204 which are coaxial to a vertical axis X-X, for whichthe bale B, which is compressed in the final pressing station 105, canbe turned according to the vertical axis X-X of the press. Secondly(specifically see FIGS. 3 from 7), a location for a support for avertical axis roll 206 is provided next to the final press 105. The roll206 is capable of supplying—by means of an unwinding mechanism andpossible angular movement of the roll 206 itself—a sheet T10, whichapproaches the side of the bale B laying on a vertical plane, which isimmediately external to the side B3 of the bale, which may have beenwrapped in the vertical sheet T as described above, where present. Thewidth of the sheet T10 is larger than the height of the bale pressedbetween the plates 137 and 141; the initial end T12 of the sheet T10 isengaged laterally to the two plates 137, 141 by means of two temporaryfastening means, which are generically indicated with reference numerals208 and 210, to withhold the end T12 which is supported between the twoplates 137 and 141. In practice, these fastening means 208 and 210 canbe formed by oscillating tips, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 schematicallyas concerns the upper fastening means 208 carried by the plate 137; thistip 208 is articulated in point 208A on plate 137 and stressed by aspring 212 which tends to move the tip 208 against a stop 214, holdingthe tip 208 essentially horizontal and projecting from the plate 137. Asuitable mechanism (not shown) is arranged to push the sheet T10 againstthe tips of the fastening means 208 and 210 to engage the end T12 of thesheet T10 to said fastening means 208, 210. Said two pressing plates areturned in the direction of the arrow f10 on the axis X-X thanks to thetwo coupling attachments 202, 204 after final pressing and afterengaging the sheet T10 against the plates 137 and 141 and before theplates 137 and 141 are reciprocally distanced. In this way, the threesides T5, T6, T7 of the bale, which are lateral and which may not havebeen wrapped by the sheet T coming vertically from above, as describedin the prior Application.

[0027] Alternatively, the sides (i.e. surfaces of the bale) T5, T6, T7can be the only three to be wrapped in the sheet T10 by making thepressing plates 137, 141 turn synchronously for 360° when the sheet T1is not provided, as shown in the sequence of the FIGS. from 3 to 7.

[0028] In the rotation position of approximately 270° (FIG. 6), anappropriate cutting mechanism 220 cuts the sheet T10. An associatedmechanism 222 has previously approached the ends of the piece of sheet,which must be separated with the mechanism 230, against an additionalpair of fastening means 228 and 230 (the latter is not visible), whichare also arranged on the plates 137 and 141 in counterpoised positionwith respect to those of the fastening mechanisms 208 and 210. In thelatter conditions, the final rotation of the plates according to f10 iscontinued for the last 900 according to the arrow f10 to complete the360° of rotation (FIG. 7), reason for which on the one side the sheetT10 is withheld by the mechanism 220 and approached by the fasteningmeans 208, 210 and on the other part the piece Ts of sheet T10 (cut bythe mechanism 220 and engaged by the fastening means 228 and 230) isarranged along the three sides T5, T6, T7 of the bale to wrap them andpossibly complete the partial wrapping on the other three sides T2, T3,T4 by the sheet T vertically provided by the roll R in the previouswrapping system.

[0029] Having reached the position in FIG. 7, the press in the pressingfinal station 105 returns to the binding position for carrying out theoperation with a binding mechanism of the type known for binding thebale and whereby engaging the piece of sheet Ts with the annular strapswhich enclose the bale and withhold the ends of the piece of sheet Ts,comprising the ends of said sheet previously engaged with the fasteningmeans 208, 210 and 228, 230.

[0030] Said fastening means 208, 210, 228, 230 are capable of slantingthe upper means 208 and 228 downwards (as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) andthe lower means upwards in the opposite way, the ends of the piece ofsheet Ts are easily released from the elastically mobile tips withoutbeing torn; afterwards the tips return to the horizontal projectingposition by effect of the springs such as 212 for tip 208. In this way,the condition for wrapping the next bale formed by the system isrecreated.

[0031] The system described can be autonomously applied to a pressingsystem as the one illustrated which may be equipped with a system forsupplying a sheet T for wrapping the three sides (upper, lower andopposite lateral which faces the input direction of the bale in thefinal pressing station with the press 105) or not.

[0032] The drawing is provided by the way of an example only toillustrate a practical embodiment of the invention whose shapes andarrangements may vary without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. Particularly, the press according to the invention can becombined with a press comprising an additional wrapping system which isdifferent from the one described in the prior Patent Application (asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2) or with a press without any additionalwrapping system.

1. A press for forming bales of textile material comprising a finalpressing station with a standing press comprising one upper plate (137)and one lower plate (141) and possibly also a pre-pressing complex,characterized in that: said plates are fitted on coaxial couplingattachments (202; 204); means are provided to turn said plates and bale(B) after final pressing; a lateral sheet (T10), which is laterallywrapped around the bale (B), at least partially, by effect of therotation of said plates (137, 141) by effect of the coupling attachments(202, 204), is unwound from a fixed vertical axis roll (206); and inthat means for cutting the sheet (T10) and for temporarily fastening(208; 210) the end of the piece (Ts) of sheet (T10) to the plates (137;141) of the press are provided.
 2. Press according to claim 1,comprising a strap binding device (151), i.e. a device for strapping thebale, characterized in that said device is operated after turning thepressing plates (137, 141).
 3. Press according to claim 1, for pressescapable of forming bales whose horizontal cross-sections are essentiallyrectangular, characterized in that said plates and said pressed balesare turned by 360° to wrap three lateral surfaces of the bale.
 4. Pressaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said plates and said pressedbale are turned to wrap the four lateral surfaces of the bale.
 5. Pressaccording to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a systemfor wrapping the surfaces in contact with plates of the press and thefourth lateral surface.
 6. Press according to claim 1, characterized inthat it also comprises a horizontal axis roll (R) which supplies a sheet(T1) vertically between the pre-pressing station (101) and the finalpressing station (105), said sheet (T1) being drawn by the pre-pressedbale (M) and resting on the other three surfaces of the bale.
 7. Pressaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said fastening meanscomprise oscillating tips (208, 210) which project from the press platesand are positioned radially by elastic means (212) to engage the ends ofthe piece (Ts) of sheet (T10) and which can bend—due to the action ofsaid elastic means—towards the bale (B) to release the piece of sheet.8. Press for forming bales of textile material or other with a wrappingdevice employing a sheet; the whole as described above and illustratedas an example in the attached figure.
 9. Press according to claim 2, forpresses capable of forming bales whose horizontal cross-sections areessentially rectangular, characterized in that said plates and saidpressed bales are turned by 360° to wrap three lateral surfaces of thebale.
 10. Press according to claim 2, characterized in that said platesand said pressed bale are turned to wrap the four lateral surfaces ofthe bale.
 11. Press according to claim 3, characterized in that saidplates and said pressed bale are turned to wrap the four lateralsurfaces of the bale.
 12. Press according to claim 2, characterized inthat it also comprises a system for wrapping the surfaces in contactwith plates of the press and the fourth lateral surface.
 13. Pressaccording to claim 3, characterized in that it also comprises a systemfor wrapping the surfaces in contact with plates of the press and thefourth lateral surface.
 14. Press according to claim 2, characterized inthat it also comprises a horizontal axis roll (R) which supplies a sheet(T1) vertically between the pre-pressing station (101) and the finalpressing station (105), said sheet (T1) being drawn by the pre-pressedbale (M) and resting on the other three surfaces of the bale.
 15. Pressaccording to claim 3, characterized in that it also comprises ahorizontal axis roll (R) which supplies a sheet (T1) vertically betweenthe pre-pressing station (101) and the final pressing station (105),said sheet (T1) being drawn by the pre-pressed bale (M) and resting onthe other three surfaces of the bale.